There have been a wide variety of mounting brackets, retainer clips, fastening devices and the like for fastening two bodies together, such as removably or detachably mounting an article to a support structure, such as a wall or other support surface. Examples of some such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,732,159 to Connors et al, dated Jan. 24, 1956; 2,887,233 to Bybee, dated May 19, 1959; 3,840,261 to Fulkerson et al, dated Oct. 8, 1974; 3,878,589 to Schaefer, dated Apr. 22, 1975; 5,026,016 to Lisowski, dated Jun. 25, 1991; and Des. 329,192 to Susac, dated Sep. 9, 1992, as well as Canadian Patent No. 626,684, dated Sep. 5, 1961; British Patent Specifications 753,778, published Aug. 1, 1956, and 1,077,792, published Aug. 7, 1967; and French Patent Publications 1.317.285 (1963) and 2.422.369 (1979).
All of the items of prior art listed above show one form or another of a mounting system which includes some form of a bracket for mounting on a support structure, the bracket having a key-way for receiving a supporting key or keyed clip for detachably mounting an article on the support structure. Most often the key-ways/keys are wedge shaped which can cause binding between the bracket and the clip. Invariably, all of the brackets in this body of prior art have key-ways which are closed. In other words, the key-ways are open in a front face of the brackets, but the back sides of the key-ways are closed by walls of the brackets. Such structures create limitations on the uses of the support systems. Closed key-ways, for instance, have a tendency to cause binding and even a "lock-up" condition between the two interengaged bodies. This is particularly problematic with heavy bodies or objects.
The present invention is directed to a novel article support system which includes two basic components, namely a bracket plate having a key-way therein which is open through opposite faces of the bracket, and a supporting key for detachable insertion into the key-way. The bracket plate is adapted to be attached to either an article or a support structure and, similarly, the supporting key is adapted to be attached to the opposite of the article or support structure. With the key-ways in the bracket plates being completely open, potential binding is substantially eliminated, and the bracket plates, as well as the supporting keys, can be stacked or reversed in a variety of orientations depending upon the use of the support system. The key-ways/keys preferably have straight sides to further eliminate potential binding.